By the time I opened my eyes, Jonah was already dressed and leaning to kiss my forehead.
It was a while yet before dawn. What would be dawn.
The shepherd must had been preparing for the morning's training.
In that case, I must not stay in bed. I had to get on with my schedule as well, given how much busier Party 1 would be today.
I returned Jonah's kiss with a passionate one of my own.
On the lips, of course. And I made sure not to let go until his cheeks turned beet red.
A pity the coloring did not take very long.
But with practice the man should be able to keep his composure better. Honestly, he even had an actual skill for it.
After sending the shepherd away, very pleased, I got myself dressed and made my way down toward the entry hall.
By the time I reached the grand staircase, I saw three people rushing at the bottom, toward the manor's exit.
"Hurry, Matrias! We can't be late!"
Vallerynne anxiously shouted to the panting middle-aged man lagging at the rear.
She and Yuxia then grabbed Matrias by his arms and started dragged him along with them.
"If we're going to have to suffer through those hellish training, I intend to at least have a full nice meal in my stomach later!"
Yuxia sternly voiced as the three mages rushed out.
I smiled at that sight.
It was nice to see your pupils being so diligent in their training and studies.
I better showed some diligence as well to my duties to the raid team and the climb effort as a whole.
I stepped outside through the lodging's grand doors and marked the beginning of my day.
As expected, the morning I recommended for Devisha's inclusion to Party 1, master immediately approved the decision.
After the appointment was made, master made us frequent the third and the fourth floor of the tower for the next three days.
Aside from levelling Devisha up, we used the outings to synchronize her fighting style with the rest of Party 1's.
The Tsahanam mercenary used dual scimitars and daggers in battle. A significant contrast to Trudy's sword and shield.
Despite the differences, however, Devisha did not struggle to fit herself within the formation.
Filling in for Trudy's role which was to support the two vanguards, Jonah and Shanny, the veil-cladded woman knew how to read the situation and decided what needed to be done.
She had good instinct when it comes to battle.
When to step in, when to muster aid, when to stand back. Devisha cooperated smoothly fighting in the frontline with the 2-stars.
Although her level was lower than her comrades, due to her excellent skills with her pair of blades, Devisha managed to overwhelm the enemies just as well as Shanny and Jonah.
It was like having three strong vanguards at once
Should Shanny or Jonah be incapacitated during battle, Devisha would be able to take their place without compromising the position. Leaving Darius and I to secure the rear.
The woman was also agile enough to swiftly retreat to the back of the formation whenever the situation needed her aid. Faster than Shanny or Jonah could.
It also worth to point out that the Tsahanam mercenary immediately acquired the Fire Resistance skill the day of her appointment.
She was able to fight unimpeded as I casted my fire spells in battle. And she knew well of her duty to protect me as I was casting.
We discovered all of these facts of Devisha as we fought with her on the third and the fourth floor.
Most importantly, Devisha understood we expected her to be such capable comrade and that she was more than willing to fulfill her role.
I should had expected since her Light Pledge, but it did not seem Devisha would pose a problem to our teamwork.
The woman was strong, quick, smart, and cooperative. Some of the qualities we absolutely needed of a comrade to face a Quintal Trial.
Whether she was as brave and determined as her other traits was something we still needed to see.
What was definite, however, was the fact that Devisha and the entire Party 1 was being prepared to continue climbing the tower.
We would still take about more than half a week to move on from the third and the fourth floor and start frequenting the eighth and the ninth floor.
After then, we would start preparing for our next climb to the eleventh floor.
Things were proceeding accordingly within Party 1.
For the rest of the members of the raid team, Arian had begun to visit the trials with the makeshift party Trudy assembled.
The combat instructor had selected several potential heroes from the first floor to fight alongside the 3-star Kutub hunter as a volunteer party.
Whenever our parties passed each other in the rift of space time, I could tell Arian was getting along well with the first floor trainees.
At least she did not show any antagonism and neither did they. Unlike Jyrgil was to the former Party 3.
The 3-star would start levelling up and be ready for the real climb when we could find a proper party for her.
The former chief gatherer, Harl, had also started training with Party 2.
Master did not object appointing the newcomer Serize to replace the girl as chief gatherer.
In fact, master gifted Harl for recommending the experienced woman.
Mere days after Serize was appointed as chief gatherer, the yield of the gatherer parties in the Weekday Dungeon nearly doubled.
The former elder of a huge farming village led the gatherers with an iron fist. But she produced results. Results that master liked.
Anyway, thanks to Serize's presence, Harl was able to focus on her new role as a member of the raid team.
The girl was training hard under the tutelage of the members of Party 2.
It would take a while before she could measure up to her predecessors, Maddock or Luan. Even longer to surpass them.
But I was certain Zecht, Norn, and Tarran would get her ready before they started climbing again.
The girl did not struggle to find motivation to improve. Not after master showed her the records of the Quintal Trials.
With Harl's training underway, all Party 2 had to worry about left was their fifth member, whose training was under my charge.
"Ysthim Pyramid…Rigo Quarter-Triangle…Chandaso Double Spiral…"
I spoke to the three wildlings inside the magic training hall.
Each of the mage was blindfolded. A lump of clay was hovering in front of each them, held by their telekinesis spell.
Telekinesis was the most basic form of magic.
One started building their magic foundation through honing their telekinesis spell.
What we were doing at the moment was a well-known telekinesis exercise. As well as an excellent method to practice a mage's knowledge of the Barrachian Index.
I would tell the wildlings a set of Barrachian variables.
While blindfolded, they would practice the variables equations through their telekinesis spell, which would affect the shape of the clay they were enchanting.
If one remembered the equations correctly and practiced them just as well, the clay in front of them would eventually form into a flower with thirteen petals and three leaves on the stem. One perfect, one broken by half, and one broken by a third.
"…Alastan Half-Circle…Alright, take off your blindfold."
I ordered my pupils after I spoke the last variable.
Their reactions differed upon the clay in front of them.
Yuxia was smiling as his clay was shaped exactly as it was supposed to.
Vallerynne clicked her tongue when hers was a flower of ten petals and only one leaf, broken by an eighth.
Matrias sighed when his was a lump of unrecognizable shape. The man needed more time, plenty more time, studying his variables.
The eastern elementalist suddenly stepped up to me.
"Again, please. Give me another shape to construct. A more intricate one. Show me another shape and I'll copy it!"
Yuxia asked eagerly.
I shook my head.
"It's not about the shape. This exercise is meant to train your mind in properly executing a magic formula in the correct order. It's useless if you're just copying the shape through your eyes and feeling your way when you're shaping the clay. It's going to be like using your wildling method again."
"No! I'll do it properly using the variables! I promise! I think I almost got everything down! Please, Serafina!"
Yuxia begged desperately.
Sighing, I gave in to his request.
I enchanted a lump of clay beside me and hovered it in front of us.
Since he wanted a more intricate shape, I had to give him one.
I practiced not just a set of variables, but the entire 9th Barrachian Formula.
Instantly, an arch like a crescent moon was formed in front of me.
It was tangled with three kinds of vines. One was smooth. Another was thorny. And another was leafy.
Yuxia examined the complex shape and started enchanting his own lump of clay. Its form started to shift.
While his eyes were constantly running back and forth between my construct and his lump, Yuxia would occasionally close his eyes and intensely thought of something.
He did not seem to be trying to feel anything. He was calculating.
Soon, Yuxia's lump of clay began to elongate.
It then curved inward, forming an arch.
Three thin threads emerged from one end and trailed disorderedly through the arch into the other end.
Then the threads began to grow features similar to the three vines tangling my arch.
Each second passed the more similar Yuxia's construct to mine.
Until they were exactly the same.
['Yuxia (★★★★)' has obtained the skill, 'Telekinesis'!]